You know you love to eat when...

While you are taking a crap, you are reading a magazine about food or restaurants. 

You have stuffed yourself to the max at dinner and already thinking about what you are going to eat for lunch the next day. 

You care more about the restaurant you are going to then the people you are eating with. 

Your favorite shows are (in no particular order) No Reservations, Top Chef, Iron Chef, or A Cook's Tour.

You record or Tivo food netword shows to watch later. 

Before you go on a trip, you spend more time googling food establishments then worrying about you reason for travel. 

You associate places by food(ie- Philly-cheesteak)

You have eaten buffets at least 3 nights in a row while in Las Vegas. 

...More to come....

My last meal on earth-  Peking Duck Wonton Noodle Soup, Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Salad, Mapo Doobu(made by my wife), Kalbi(made by my dad, cooked on my wood chip BBQ grill), Creme Brulee from this bakery in Montreal, Canada. 

Something to Fantasize about.  

If I wasn't a pastor I would either be a rock star or a chef.     To honor my love of food, these are a list of my favorite places to eat in the world off the top of my head, as I was thinking today.  They are in no particular order.

Peter Luger’s Steakhouse in Brooklyn, New York-  Aged, dried steaks to perfection so the fats is marbled within the cuts of meat. 

Gum Gan San-  New York City.  The best “naeng myun?in the world.   Ice Cold broth in a copper bowl.  It never loses its ice cold temperature, the slowly melting ice never waters it down.  Noodles cooked to perfection.  Not to soft, not too chewy. 

Kil Mok-  Los Angeles, Cerritos California.  The L.A. location is more smoky, more crowded, but much better.   The Kalbi is tasty, tender over the charcoal flames.  The “Dong Chi Mee?noodles…ice cold in the dong chi mee opaque, broth.   This is something I would eat if I had one meal left to eat before I die.

Kobe Beef- various locations.  The cows are fed a special mixture of feed and beer…then they are massaged daily when they are alive to tenderize the meat.  The fat and meat are perfectly marbled in the flesh.  So tender, you can cut it with a spoon.  

Taste of Texas-  Houston, Texas-  Aged Marbled T-bone and Tezas strip steak.  Thick and Juicy.  The Jalapeno Corn Bread is to die for…sweet yet spicy, and moist. 

In and Out Burger- California-  The freshest burger and fries...it is fresh.

Chevy's Tex Mex-  Overland, Missouri-  The best fish tacos with thin, crispy tortillas, and mouth watering hot sauce.    Best with Mahi Mahi fish.

"Oh Dae Gam"- Kangnam, Seoul, Korea-  Stir fried squid "bokum" that is spicy and fresh.  After eating most of it, they stir fry rice and make squid rice bokum or fried rice with the residual flavors left within the pan.  

Fresh Soba Noodles-  Japan-  You have not eaten Soba noodles until you have had the fresh, hand made noodles off the streets of Japan 

DiFarna's Pizza- Brooklyn, New York-  Crisp Thin Crust with a hint of bready softness within.   Savory sauce, not too acidic but pleasant and balanced.   Dry Aged Mozzarella.

Carnivore-  Nairobi, Kenya-   Best of open flame BBQ where meat is cut onto your plate as it comes to your table.  Exotic meats include Eland, Osterich, Alligator, Camel.

Foga De Brazil- Dallas, Texas-  Brazilian BBQ, with meat also cut right at your table after being flame grilled over a pit of fire.  The Brazilian beef…it is distinct, unique, and very tasty…different than American beef. 

Jim’s Steaks-  Philadelphia, PA.  For my money, the best Cheesesteak in Philly, the one on South Street is great…but there is a secret location in West Philadelphia that very few know and miss out on. 

Red Hot and Blue-  Roslyn, Virginia.   Dry Rub Ribs…cooked over 18 hours with not a trace of liquid sauce…rather a mixture of spices and herbs, crushed and rubbed into the deep crevices of the meat.  It is so tender…it falls off the bones.   Your not a rib eater unless you have eaten real dry rub ribs

Tom Sarris New Orleans Steak house-  Washington, D.C.,   the best prime rib I have ever had.   The King cut is over 20 ounces of tender, medium rare flesh.   It is slow roasted sides of beef side.  The salad bar is fresh and tasty. 

Bandara Smoke House- St. Louis Missouri, the meat is so smoke infused, it seems as if you are eating smoke.  Beef brisket, chicken, sausage, baby back ribs…the outside is charred and crisp, the next layer is pink-infused smoke flesh.  The bottom layer is tender. 

Wa Sing- Toronto, Canada-  You cannot beat two Chinese stir-fried lobsters for $15 Canadian dollars, with either Chinese garlic or black bean sauce. 

Shik Do Rak-  Garden Grove, California-  The dish is called “Duk Bo Sam. It is pieces of tender meat pan fried…wrapped around paper thin slices of rice paper and paper thin slices of Korean radish(moo, which has been marinated in vinegar).  A little hot sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper.  A arduous process for each individual bite, but it is worth it. 

Stripped Bass-  Philadelphia, PA-  Creative, fresh seafood dishes that are creatively prepared.  The Lobster with Froi Gras(duck liver) is amazing. 

Sang Kee Duck House-  Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA-  Peking Duck with Crispy skin, great hot oil, great Chinese dumpling wrappers, crisp scallions, sweet Hoisin sauce.    Also try the wonton-noodle soup with Peking duck. 

Todai-  Century City, Los Angeles-  Overlooking Hollywood Hills which makes a great view, this Japanese Buffet is one of the best of all Todai locations.  Includes many different kinds of sushi and sashimi

Minado-  New Jersey, New York-  Japanese buffet with various sushi and great selection of different/various salads. 

Dergin Park- Boston, Mass-  The Prime Rib is “Fred Flintstone" like size…people stare at you when you order it.  The Surf and Turf is also awesome. 

Bellagio-  Las Vegas-  One of the best buffets with King Crab, Prime Rib, foods of all nationalities, and over 15 desserts.   Try the “Arnold Palmer(1/2 ice tea, 1/2lemonade)because it is so fresh and thirst quenching. 

Rio Hotel Seafood Buffet-  Las Vegas- All you can eat lobster, plus the freshest yellowtail and tuna sashimi. 

Ban Dun, Ban Dun- Fort Lee, New Jersey-  The best Korean Tong Dak(Special roasted chicken) and moo on the side. 

From live cow to the table,  the greatest kalbi in the world is made by my father.  Anyone who has ever tasted it will confirm this.  He starts with not only beef rib meat(Kalbi), but kalbi that has been blessed, killed, and "kosherized" by a Jewish rabbi.  Hence, the cows are killed by a special spearing in the neck, then hung by the feet, head down, and the blood from inside the body is allowed to drain slowly but surely.  This process enables more meat and succulent fat to exist, and the tasteless, but taste-ruining blood to run off and out of the flesh, leaving only the most tasty meat.    Next, the Kalbi is cut by hand, each individual piece...filet and butterfly cut.  Never, ever the imitation L.A. Kalbi with the 3 small bones.  This is the real thing, one huge middle bone, with two luscious strips of meat extending and unfolding outward from the center bone.  After this, each piece of kalbi is layerd atop each other and pineapple juice is pour atop the meat for 48 hours.  The meat marinates,which saturated by the juice and permeated by the acid and sweetness.  At this point, the meat is already so tender and sweet.  It is already almost falling off the bones and is as tender and soft as a newborn baby's butt.   Next, after two days, the meat is marinated again for 24 hours in a secret Korean Tradition, which consists of soy sauce, seasame seeds, garlic, ginger, and other secret ingredients.  Only a weak and amatuer chef reveals their secret recipe and we will not do this here either.  Lastly, this is where I come in.  Fine, earthy, smoky wood chips, not charcoal and NEVER, EVER, gas grill BBQ are used to commence the cooking.  When the wood chips are hot, starting to ash, the grill is flash hot, the pieces are laid down, the sizzling begins.  Then, when a layer is laids, the lid of the smoker/BBQ grill is covered.  Within the inside of the  grill, the flavor is being condensed, the inside cooked to succulent, tender consistency, and just barely browned.  Outside you see the smoke of the woodchips pouring out the sides of smoker like a chimey.  Finally, the lid is open, the smoke allowed to re-ignite into flames.  Alas, the grill is allowed to leave a final crisp, char-broiled  exterior on each piece, with the juicy, succulent inside bursting with juicy flavors.   My father-in-law, who is practically vegatarian, ate five huge pieces this week.  Even vegatarians can't resist the taste of this "force."